FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (25th - 31st OCTOBER 1971)
This week's many stories include the warnings over Guy Fawkes Night in St Helens, the Billinge boy's 20ft. drop down a manhole, how local MPs voted as the Commons joins the Common Market, the Prescot man honoured for singing on a ship, why Pilks could not make strong enough glass to stop vandals and the 93-year-old blind man from Moss Bank who spent his day travelling round St Helens on the bus.
We begin during the evening of the 25th when thieves broke into the Baldwin Street premises of Rothery Radio and stole three transistor radios worth a total of £80. Later in the week smash and grab raiders took two television sets valued at £60 each from the window of Eric Bromilow's store in Baldwin Street.
Warrington Road in Rainhill (pictured above) had been the subject of many protests by parents earlier in the year after the death of a child. The busy road had been barricaded on numerous occasions to demand a lower speed limit and a pedestrian crossing. It was clearly still dangerous as on the 26th Beverley Hunter of Lindrick Close in Rainhill, was admitted to Whiston Hospital with head and leg injuries after being in collision with a car. The condition of the 14-year-old was later stated as fair.
After a six-day debate that terminated on the 28th, MPs at Westminster voted by a 112 majority in support of British entry into the EEC. Most Labour members were firmly against Common Market membership and Leslie Spriggs – our then sole MP – cast his vote against. So did the party's leader, Harold Wilson, whose Huyton constituency included the Prescot, Eccleston and Windle district. The Ormskirk constituency then included Rainford and their Conservative MP, Harold Soref, also voted against joining.
Vandalism was bad enough in St Helens – but it was really bad in Liverpool and some thought it more severe than in any other city in Britain. On the 28th the Echo reported that experts from Pilkingtons had failed dismally to provide a means of protecting the glass in the staircases of some Birkenhead flats. Experiments with armour-plated and other types of toughened glass had failed to stop the vandals at Oak and Eldon Gardens who were using steel bars and high-powered rifles to smash it up.
In the end the St Helens' firm recommended using the cheapest possible glass and then replacing it each time it was smashed! Thousands of pounds had already been spent replacing the glass but the Birkenhead housing manager had an even simpler solution. He told the Birkenhead housing committee that he wanted to substitute the windows with concrete blocks that would have decorative gaps to allow in ventilation and light. The councillors would soon be asked to approve the proposal. Let's see whether the vandals could smash up concrete!
On the 28th the famous bandleader and violinist Max Jaffa appeared in a concert at the Theatre Royal called 'Music To Remember' with Jack Byfield and others. And then during the following evening there was a special treat for brass band fans in St Helens as 'The Massed Bands of Fodens & Fairey' performed together. The former had originally been known as Fodens Motor Works Band, as it comprised workers from the Sandbach truck maker. And the latter had been known as the Fairey Aviation Brass Band after the now defunct aircraft manufacturer.
The St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a six-year-old boy had survived a 20ft. fall down an open manhole in Billinge. Paul Richardson had been sailing a model boat on a patch of water near to his home in Royden Road. Workmen laying drainage pipes had left a manhole uncovered and Paul had accidentally fallen in. Bleeding from cuts to his head, the boy managed to haul himself back up to the surface by grasping a row of iron rungs on the wall. Mother Kathleen Richardson told the Reporter: "I'll never know how he came out of it alive. He ran home, screaming and covered in blood."
Jimmy Lea was pictured sitting on a bus on the front page of the Reporter. Three times a day the 93-year-old almost completely blind great-grandad would leave Moss Bank Old People's Home and take a circular tour of St Helens by double decker. The journey often took him as far as Sutton and Peasley Cross. "I don't get off the bus anywhere," said Jimmy. "I just climb on the first bus that comes and ride round until it arrives back. I like riding on the bus, because I love hearing people talking and children shouting around me, even though I can't see them."
There were three separate articles in the Reporter in connection with Guy Fawkes Night in a week's time. The briefest piece stated that firemen had put out a bonfire in Woodville Road after it was prematurely lit. St Helens Corporation's Chief Building Inspector, Daniel McDonald, was warning of the danger of children raiding derelict houses for bonfire wood. That was not because of the structural dangers inherent in derelict properties – as such. Mr McDonald was concerned about woodworm and dry rot spreading and contaminating new buildings.
And George Wilson, Chief Fire Officer at St Helens, was warning local firms to check their premises as a precaution against fire outbreaks on Bonfire Night. Mr Wilson said the throwing of fireworks or sparks from bonfires caused many fires on industrial and commercial premises in the town on Guy Fawkes Night.
Of course, large numbers of WW1 veterans were still alive in the 1970s, with some, perhaps, feeling able to tell their horror stories for the first time. On the 29th the Echo provided a more uplifting anecdote: "Over 5,000 British troops sat anxiously in a ship as it prepared to land at Gallipoli during the Great War, when suddenly they heard the sweet tones of a lone private singing in the night. His song – “Homeland” – lifted their spirits and helped them to prepare for the battle which followed the landing." The soldier was George Thomas of Prescot who later was awarded the King George Diploma for bravery for his action in singing the song. I wonder if any other soldiers were similarly rewarded for simply exercising their vocal chords!
On the previous day the 85-year-old had travelled from his home in Central Avenue in Prescot to be among sixteen Gallipoli veterans invited to visit HMS Euryalus during her stay in Liverpool. They were shown round the frigate by the ship's officers and then served tea in the Wardroom where they swapped stories about the battle in which the first HMS Euryalius had taken part. George, the oldest present, said: "I got the diploma because I got up and sang Homeland just before the battle began. We were in a big liner, but I don't remember her name."
Frederick Price of City Road in St Helens was also in the party – having served with the South Wales Borderers when they landed at the mouth of the Dardanelles in April 1915. "We went ashore in rowing boats, with 24 in each boat," said the 83-year-old. "Four men were killed and seven wounded in my boat, before we landed."
A rare event occurred on the 31st at the town's two cinemas. That day was a Sunday, when both the Capitol and Savoy changed their films. However, both picture houses had decided to retain their existing titles for another week. In fact the Capitol on the corner of Duke Street and North Road was showing 'Soldier Blue' starring Candice Bergen for the fifth straight week. "The film everybody in town is talking about", said the Cap's ad in the Reporter. Down Bridge Street at the ABC Savoy, 'Kelly's Heroes' starring Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas was only on its second "big week" of screenings.
On the 31st Bob Noon became the first blind man to be recommended for a judo black belt after passing his Kata (theory) examination at a special grading at RAF Sealand, near Chester. British Judo Association examiners Richard Barraclough and Tony McConnell would now recommend that the 41-year-old from Vista Avenue in Newton-le-Willows be awarded a black belt known as a first dan.
Watching Bob go through his paces were his guide dogs Georgie and Sally – both golden Labradors. Bob had been totally blind since Christmas Day 1957 after falling down a hole in the road. "The Irish ganger who pulled me out said that I would have to take up wrestling to learn how to fall properly. I almost took him at his word."
And finally British Summertime had been introduced in 1916, following a campaign led by builder William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin of Coldplay. Since then the question of whether it is better to have lighter mornings and darker evenings – or darker mornings and lighter evenings – has never been settled, and probably never will. This week this article was published in the Echo:
"Schoolchildren, parents, outdoor workers and late-night swingers, have all got something to look forward to next Sunday. The clocks go back an hour, which means an extra hour in bed on the day itself, and the return to Greenwich Mean Time means lighter mornings during winter. But lighter mornings also mean darker evenings, and the question is now being asked: Will the change of darkness hours really help road safety, or will it just shift accident statistics from morning to evening?
"The return to G.M.T. was announced last December, after the three-year experiment of British Standard Time, during which the clocks remained unaltered throughout the year. B.S.T. meant darkness until about 9 o'clock during some mornings in the depth of winter, and opposition to the system was quickly and increasingly voiced. Building workers were arriving on their sites before the sun did; and parents were anxious about their children getting to school in the darkness – school starting times in many places were put back to 9.15 or 9.30. So it was that the decision to revert to the old system – voted by a massive majority in the House of Commons – was welcomed in many quarters.
"But some road safety officials are not among them. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who are not totally committed either way, question the value of sacrificing lighter evenings during the peak hours, for the sake of lighter mornings. And Mr. Lionel Piper, Liverpool's Road Safety Officer commented: “There has been no evidence of an increase in accidents because of dark mornings. There are even advantages to the (B.S.T.) system. As a father, I would much rather my children went to school in the dark than came home in the dark.”"
Next week's stories will include the children playing chicken on Croppers Hill, the flexi-time pioneer of Lancots Lane, Helena House open their Xmas Grotto, a Bonfire night plot in Liverpool Road and the strict Redgate Boys Band rulebook.
We begin during the evening of the 25th when thieves broke into the Baldwin Street premises of Rothery Radio and stole three transistor radios worth a total of £80. Later in the week smash and grab raiders took two television sets valued at £60 each from the window of Eric Bromilow's store in Baldwin Street.
After a six-day debate that terminated on the 28th, MPs at Westminster voted by a 112 majority in support of British entry into the EEC. Most Labour members were firmly against Common Market membership and Leslie Spriggs – our then sole MP – cast his vote against. So did the party's leader, Harold Wilson, whose Huyton constituency included the Prescot, Eccleston and Windle district. The Ormskirk constituency then included Rainford and their Conservative MP, Harold Soref, also voted against joining.
Vandalism was bad enough in St Helens – but it was really bad in Liverpool and some thought it more severe than in any other city in Britain. On the 28th the Echo reported that experts from Pilkingtons had failed dismally to provide a means of protecting the glass in the staircases of some Birkenhead flats. Experiments with armour-plated and other types of toughened glass had failed to stop the vandals at Oak and Eldon Gardens who were using steel bars and high-powered rifles to smash it up.
In the end the St Helens' firm recommended using the cheapest possible glass and then replacing it each time it was smashed! Thousands of pounds had already been spent replacing the glass but the Birkenhead housing manager had an even simpler solution. He told the Birkenhead housing committee that he wanted to substitute the windows with concrete blocks that would have decorative gaps to allow in ventilation and light. The councillors would soon be asked to approve the proposal. Let's see whether the vandals could smash up concrete!
On the 28th the famous bandleader and violinist Max Jaffa appeared in a concert at the Theatre Royal called 'Music To Remember' with Jack Byfield and others. And then during the following evening there was a special treat for brass band fans in St Helens as 'The Massed Bands of Fodens & Fairey' performed together. The former had originally been known as Fodens Motor Works Band, as it comprised workers from the Sandbach truck maker. And the latter had been known as the Fairey Aviation Brass Band after the now defunct aircraft manufacturer.
The St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a six-year-old boy had survived a 20ft. fall down an open manhole in Billinge. Paul Richardson had been sailing a model boat on a patch of water near to his home in Royden Road. Workmen laying drainage pipes had left a manhole uncovered and Paul had accidentally fallen in. Bleeding from cuts to his head, the boy managed to haul himself back up to the surface by grasping a row of iron rungs on the wall. Mother Kathleen Richardson told the Reporter: "I'll never know how he came out of it alive. He ran home, screaming and covered in blood."
Jimmy Lea was pictured sitting on a bus on the front page of the Reporter. Three times a day the 93-year-old almost completely blind great-grandad would leave Moss Bank Old People's Home and take a circular tour of St Helens by double decker. The journey often took him as far as Sutton and Peasley Cross. "I don't get off the bus anywhere," said Jimmy. "I just climb on the first bus that comes and ride round until it arrives back. I like riding on the bus, because I love hearing people talking and children shouting around me, even though I can't see them."
There were three separate articles in the Reporter in connection with Guy Fawkes Night in a week's time. The briefest piece stated that firemen had put out a bonfire in Woodville Road after it was prematurely lit. St Helens Corporation's Chief Building Inspector, Daniel McDonald, was warning of the danger of children raiding derelict houses for bonfire wood. That was not because of the structural dangers inherent in derelict properties – as such. Mr McDonald was concerned about woodworm and dry rot spreading and contaminating new buildings.
And George Wilson, Chief Fire Officer at St Helens, was warning local firms to check their premises as a precaution against fire outbreaks on Bonfire Night. Mr Wilson said the throwing of fireworks or sparks from bonfires caused many fires on industrial and commercial premises in the town on Guy Fawkes Night.
Of course, large numbers of WW1 veterans were still alive in the 1970s, with some, perhaps, feeling able to tell their horror stories for the first time. On the 29th the Echo provided a more uplifting anecdote: "Over 5,000 British troops sat anxiously in a ship as it prepared to land at Gallipoli during the Great War, when suddenly they heard the sweet tones of a lone private singing in the night. His song – “Homeland” – lifted their spirits and helped them to prepare for the battle which followed the landing." The soldier was George Thomas of Prescot who later was awarded the King George Diploma for bravery for his action in singing the song. I wonder if any other soldiers were similarly rewarded for simply exercising their vocal chords!
On the previous day the 85-year-old had travelled from his home in Central Avenue in Prescot to be among sixteen Gallipoli veterans invited to visit HMS Euryalus during her stay in Liverpool. They were shown round the frigate by the ship's officers and then served tea in the Wardroom where they swapped stories about the battle in which the first HMS Euryalius had taken part. George, the oldest present, said: "I got the diploma because I got up and sang Homeland just before the battle began. We were in a big liner, but I don't remember her name."
Frederick Price of City Road in St Helens was also in the party – having served with the South Wales Borderers when they landed at the mouth of the Dardanelles in April 1915. "We went ashore in rowing boats, with 24 in each boat," said the 83-year-old. "Four men were killed and seven wounded in my boat, before we landed."
A rare event occurred on the 31st at the town's two cinemas. That day was a Sunday, when both the Capitol and Savoy changed their films. However, both picture houses had decided to retain their existing titles for another week. In fact the Capitol on the corner of Duke Street and North Road was showing 'Soldier Blue' starring Candice Bergen for the fifth straight week. "The film everybody in town is talking about", said the Cap's ad in the Reporter. Down Bridge Street at the ABC Savoy, 'Kelly's Heroes' starring Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas was only on its second "big week" of screenings.
On the 31st Bob Noon became the first blind man to be recommended for a judo black belt after passing his Kata (theory) examination at a special grading at RAF Sealand, near Chester. British Judo Association examiners Richard Barraclough and Tony McConnell would now recommend that the 41-year-old from Vista Avenue in Newton-le-Willows be awarded a black belt known as a first dan.
Watching Bob go through his paces were his guide dogs Georgie and Sally – both golden Labradors. Bob had been totally blind since Christmas Day 1957 after falling down a hole in the road. "The Irish ganger who pulled me out said that I would have to take up wrestling to learn how to fall properly. I almost took him at his word."
And finally British Summertime had been introduced in 1916, following a campaign led by builder William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin of Coldplay. Since then the question of whether it is better to have lighter mornings and darker evenings – or darker mornings and lighter evenings – has never been settled, and probably never will. This week this article was published in the Echo:
"Schoolchildren, parents, outdoor workers and late-night swingers, have all got something to look forward to next Sunday. The clocks go back an hour, which means an extra hour in bed on the day itself, and the return to Greenwich Mean Time means lighter mornings during winter. But lighter mornings also mean darker evenings, and the question is now being asked: Will the change of darkness hours really help road safety, or will it just shift accident statistics from morning to evening?
"The return to G.M.T. was announced last December, after the three-year experiment of British Standard Time, during which the clocks remained unaltered throughout the year. B.S.T. meant darkness until about 9 o'clock during some mornings in the depth of winter, and opposition to the system was quickly and increasingly voiced. Building workers were arriving on their sites before the sun did; and parents were anxious about their children getting to school in the darkness – school starting times in many places were put back to 9.15 or 9.30. So it was that the decision to revert to the old system – voted by a massive majority in the House of Commons – was welcomed in many quarters.
"But some road safety officials are not among them. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who are not totally committed either way, question the value of sacrificing lighter evenings during the peak hours, for the sake of lighter mornings. And Mr. Lionel Piper, Liverpool's Road Safety Officer commented: “There has been no evidence of an increase in accidents because of dark mornings. There are even advantages to the (B.S.T.) system. As a father, I would much rather my children went to school in the dark than came home in the dark.”"
Next week's stories will include the children playing chicken on Croppers Hill, the flexi-time pioneer of Lancots Lane, Helena House open their Xmas Grotto, a Bonfire night plot in Liverpool Road and the strict Redgate Boys Band rulebook.
This week's many stories include the warnings over Guy Fawkes Night in St Helens, the Billinge boy's 20ft. drop down a manhole, how local MPs voted as the Commons joins the Common Market, the Prescot man honoured for singing on a ship, why Pilks could not make strong enough glass to stop vandals and the 93-year-old blind man from Moss Bank who spent his day travelling round St Helens on the bus.
We begin during the evening of the 25th when thieves broke into the Baldwin Street premises of Rothery Radio and stole three transistor radios worth a total of £80.
Later in the week smash and grab raiders took two television sets valued at £60 each from the window of Eric Bromilow's store in Baldwin Street.
Warrington Road in Rainhill (pictured above) had been the subject of many protests by parents earlier in the year after the death of a child.
The busy road had been barricaded on numerous occasions to demand a lower speed limit and a pedestrian crossing.
It was clearly still dangerous as on the 26th Beverley Hunter of Lindrick Close in Rainhill, was admitted to Whiston Hospital with head and leg injuries after being in collision with a car.
The condition of the 14-year-old was later stated as fair.
After a six-day debate that terminated on the 28th, MPs at Westminster voted by a 112 majority in support of British entry into the EEC.
Most Labour members were firmly against Common Market membership and Leslie Spriggs – our then sole MP – cast his vote against.
So did the party's leader, Harold Wilson, whose Huyton constituency included the Prescot, Eccleston and Windle district.
The Ormskirk constituency then included Rainford and their Conservative MP, Harold Soref, also voted against joining.
Vandalism was bad enough in St Helens – but it was really bad in Liverpool and some thought it more severe than in any other city in Britain.
On the 28th the Echo reported that experts from Pilkingtons had failed dismally to provide a means of protecting the glass in the staircases of some Birkenhead flats.
Experiments with armour-plated and other types of toughened glass had failed to stop the vandals at Oak and Eldon Gardens who were using steel bars and high-powered rifles to smash it up.
In the end the St Helens' firm recommended using the cheapest possible glass and then replacing it each time it was smashed!
Thousands of pounds had already been spent replacing the glass but the Birkenhead housing manager had an even simpler solution.
He told the Birkenhead housing committee that he wanted to substitute the windows with concrete blocks that would have decorative gaps to allow in ventilation and light.
The councillors would soon be asked to approve the proposal. Let's see whether the vandals could smash up concrete!
On the 28th the famous bandleader and violinist Max Jaffa appeared in a concert at the Theatre Royal called 'Music To Remember' with Jack Byfield and others.
And then during the following evening there was a special treat for brass band fans in St Helens as 'The Massed Bands of Fodens & Fairey' performed together.
The former had originally been known as Fodens Motor Works Band, as it comprised workers from the Sandbach truck maker.
And the latter had been known as the Fairey Aviation Brass Band after the now defunct aircraft manufacturer.
The St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a six-year-old boy had survived a 20ft. fall down an open manhole in Billinge.
Paul Richardson had been sailing a model boat on a patch of water near to his home in Royden Road.
Workmen laying drainage pipes had left a manhole uncovered and Paul had accidentally fallen in.
Bleeding from cuts to his head, the boy managed to haul himself back up to the surface by grasping a row of iron rungs on the wall.
Mother Kathleen Richardson told the Reporter: "I'll never know how he came out of it alive. He ran home, screaming and covered in blood."
Jimmy Lea was pictured sitting on a bus on the front page of the Reporter.
Three times a day the 93-year-old almost completely blind great-grandad would leave Moss Bank Old People's Home and take a circular tour of St Helens by double decker. The journey often took him as far as Sutton and Peasley Cross.
"I don't get off the bus anywhere," said Jimmy. "I just climb on the first bus that comes and ride round until it arrives back. I like riding on the bus, because I love hearing people talking and children shouting around me, even though I can't see them."
There were three separate articles in the Reporter in connection with Guy Fawkes Night in a week's time.
The briefest piece stated that firemen had put out a bonfire in Woodville Road after it was prematurely lit.
St Helens Corporation's Chief Building Inspector, Daniel McDonald, was warning of the danger of children raiding derelict houses for bonfire wood.
That was not because of the structural dangers inherent in derelict properties – as such.
Mr McDonald was concerned about woodworm and dry rot spreading and contaminating new buildings.
And George Wilson, Chief Fire Officer at St Helens, was warning local firms to check their premises as a precaution against fire outbreaks on Bonfire Night.
Mr Wilson said the throwing of fireworks or sparks from bonfires caused many fires on industrial and commercial premises in the town on Guy Fawkes Night.
Of course, large numbers of WW1 veterans were still alive in the 1970s, with some, perhaps, feeling able to tell their horror stories for the first time. On the 29th the Echo provided a more uplifting anecdote:
"Over 5,000 British troops sat anxiously in a ship as it prepared to land at Gallipoli during the Great War, when suddenly they heard the sweet tones of a lone private singing in the night.
"His song – “Homeland” – lifted their spirits and helped them to prepare for the battle which followed the landing."
The soldier was George Thomas of Prescot who later was awarded the King George Diploma for bravery for his action in singing the song.
I wonder if any other soldiers were similarly rewarded for simply exercising their vocal chords!
On the previous day the 85-year-old had travelled from his home in Central Avenue in Prescot to be among sixteen Gallipoli veterans invited to visit HMS Euryalus during her stay in Liverpool.
They were shown round the frigate by the ship's officers and then served tea in the Wardroom where they swapped stories about the battle in which the first HMS Euryalius had taken part.
George, the oldest present, said: "I got the diploma because I got up and sang Homeland just before the battle began. We were in a big liner, but I don't remember her name."
Frederick Price of City Road in St Helens was also in the party – having served with the South Wales Borderers when they landed at the mouth of the Dardanelles in April 1915.
"We went ashore in rowing boats, with 24 in each boat," said the 83-year-old. "Four men were killed and seven wounded in my boat, before we landed."
A rare event occurred on the 31st at the town's two cinemas. That day was a Sunday, when both the Capitol and Savoy changed their films.
However, both picture houses had decided to retain their existing titles for another week.
In fact the Capitol on the corner of Duke Street and North Road was showing 'Soldier Blue' starring Candice Bergen for the fifth straight week.
"The film everybody in town is talking about", said the Cap's ad in the Reporter.
Down Bridge Street at the ABC Savoy, 'Kelly's Heroes' starring Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas was only on its second "big week" of screenings.
On the 31st Bob Noon became the first blind man to be recommended for a judo black belt after passing his Kata (theory) examination at a special grading at RAF Sealand, near Chester.
British Judo Association examiners Richard Barraclough and Tony McConnell would now recommend that the 41-year-old from Vista Avenue in Newton-le-Willows be awarded a black belt known as a first dan.
Watching Bob go through his paces were his guide dogs Georgie and Sally – both golden Labradors.
Bob had been totally blind since Christmas Day 1957 after falling down a hole in the road.
"The Irish ganger who pulled me out said that I would have to take up wrestling to learn how to fall properly. I almost took him at his word."
And finally British Summertime had been introduced in 1916, following a campaign led by builder William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin of Coldplay.
Since then the question of whether it is better to have lighter mornings and darker evenings – or darker mornings and lighter evenings – has never been settled, and probably never will. This week this article was published in the Echo:
"Schoolchildren, parents, outdoor workers and late-night swingers, have all got something to look forward to next Sunday.
"The clocks go back an hour, which means an extra hour in bed on the day itself, and the return to Greenwich Mean Time means lighter mornings during winter.
"But lighter mornings also mean darker evenings, and the question is now being asked: Will the change of darkness hours really help road safety, or will it just shift accident statistics from morning to evening?
"The return to G.M.T. was announced last December, after the three-year experiment of British Standard Time, during which the clocks remained unaltered throughout the year.
"B.S.T. meant darkness until about 9 o'clock during some mornings in the depth of winter, and opposition to the system was quickly and increasingly voiced.
"Building workers were arriving on their sites before the sun did; and parents were anxious about their children getting to school in the darkness – school starting times in many places were put back to 9.15 or 9.30.
"So it was that the decision to revert to the old system – voted by a massive majority in the House of Commons – was welcomed in many quarters.
"But some road safety officials are not among them. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who are not totally committed either way, question the value of sacrificing lighter evenings during the peak hours, for the sake of lighter mornings.
"And Mr. Lionel Piper, Liverpool's Road Safety Officer commented: “There has been no evidence of an increase in accidents because of dark mornings. There are even advantages to the (B.S.T.) system.
"“As a father, I would much rather my children went to school in the dark than came home in the dark.”"
Next week's stories will include the children playing chicken on Croppers Hill, the flexi-time pioneer of Lancots Lane, Helena House open their Xmas Grotto, a Bonfire night plot in Liverpool Road and the strict Redgate Boys Band rulebook.
We begin during the evening of the 25th when thieves broke into the Baldwin Street premises of Rothery Radio and stole three transistor radios worth a total of £80.
Later in the week smash and grab raiders took two television sets valued at £60 each from the window of Eric Bromilow's store in Baldwin Street.
The busy road had been barricaded on numerous occasions to demand a lower speed limit and a pedestrian crossing.
It was clearly still dangerous as on the 26th Beverley Hunter of Lindrick Close in Rainhill, was admitted to Whiston Hospital with head and leg injuries after being in collision with a car.
The condition of the 14-year-old was later stated as fair.
After a six-day debate that terminated on the 28th, MPs at Westminster voted by a 112 majority in support of British entry into the EEC.
Most Labour members were firmly against Common Market membership and Leslie Spriggs – our then sole MP – cast his vote against.
So did the party's leader, Harold Wilson, whose Huyton constituency included the Prescot, Eccleston and Windle district.
The Ormskirk constituency then included Rainford and their Conservative MP, Harold Soref, also voted against joining.
Vandalism was bad enough in St Helens – but it was really bad in Liverpool and some thought it more severe than in any other city in Britain.
On the 28th the Echo reported that experts from Pilkingtons had failed dismally to provide a means of protecting the glass in the staircases of some Birkenhead flats.
Experiments with armour-plated and other types of toughened glass had failed to stop the vandals at Oak and Eldon Gardens who were using steel bars and high-powered rifles to smash it up.
In the end the St Helens' firm recommended using the cheapest possible glass and then replacing it each time it was smashed!
Thousands of pounds had already been spent replacing the glass but the Birkenhead housing manager had an even simpler solution.
He told the Birkenhead housing committee that he wanted to substitute the windows with concrete blocks that would have decorative gaps to allow in ventilation and light.
The councillors would soon be asked to approve the proposal. Let's see whether the vandals could smash up concrete!
On the 28th the famous bandleader and violinist Max Jaffa appeared in a concert at the Theatre Royal called 'Music To Remember' with Jack Byfield and others.
And then during the following evening there was a special treat for brass band fans in St Helens as 'The Massed Bands of Fodens & Fairey' performed together.
The former had originally been known as Fodens Motor Works Band, as it comprised workers from the Sandbach truck maker.
And the latter had been known as the Fairey Aviation Brass Band after the now defunct aircraft manufacturer.
The St Helens Reporter on the 29th described how a six-year-old boy had survived a 20ft. fall down an open manhole in Billinge.
Paul Richardson had been sailing a model boat on a patch of water near to his home in Royden Road.
Workmen laying drainage pipes had left a manhole uncovered and Paul had accidentally fallen in.
Bleeding from cuts to his head, the boy managed to haul himself back up to the surface by grasping a row of iron rungs on the wall.
Mother Kathleen Richardson told the Reporter: "I'll never know how he came out of it alive. He ran home, screaming and covered in blood."
Jimmy Lea was pictured sitting on a bus on the front page of the Reporter.
Three times a day the 93-year-old almost completely blind great-grandad would leave Moss Bank Old People's Home and take a circular tour of St Helens by double decker. The journey often took him as far as Sutton and Peasley Cross.
"I don't get off the bus anywhere," said Jimmy. "I just climb on the first bus that comes and ride round until it arrives back. I like riding on the bus, because I love hearing people talking and children shouting around me, even though I can't see them."
There were three separate articles in the Reporter in connection with Guy Fawkes Night in a week's time.
The briefest piece stated that firemen had put out a bonfire in Woodville Road after it was prematurely lit.
St Helens Corporation's Chief Building Inspector, Daniel McDonald, was warning of the danger of children raiding derelict houses for bonfire wood.
That was not because of the structural dangers inherent in derelict properties – as such.
Mr McDonald was concerned about woodworm and dry rot spreading and contaminating new buildings.
And George Wilson, Chief Fire Officer at St Helens, was warning local firms to check their premises as a precaution against fire outbreaks on Bonfire Night.
Mr Wilson said the throwing of fireworks or sparks from bonfires caused many fires on industrial and commercial premises in the town on Guy Fawkes Night.
Of course, large numbers of WW1 veterans were still alive in the 1970s, with some, perhaps, feeling able to tell their horror stories for the first time. On the 29th the Echo provided a more uplifting anecdote:
"Over 5,000 British troops sat anxiously in a ship as it prepared to land at Gallipoli during the Great War, when suddenly they heard the sweet tones of a lone private singing in the night.
"His song – “Homeland” – lifted their spirits and helped them to prepare for the battle which followed the landing."
The soldier was George Thomas of Prescot who later was awarded the King George Diploma for bravery for his action in singing the song.
I wonder if any other soldiers were similarly rewarded for simply exercising their vocal chords!
On the previous day the 85-year-old had travelled from his home in Central Avenue in Prescot to be among sixteen Gallipoli veterans invited to visit HMS Euryalus during her stay in Liverpool.
They were shown round the frigate by the ship's officers and then served tea in the Wardroom where they swapped stories about the battle in which the first HMS Euryalius had taken part.
George, the oldest present, said: "I got the diploma because I got up and sang Homeland just before the battle began. We were in a big liner, but I don't remember her name."
Frederick Price of City Road in St Helens was also in the party – having served with the South Wales Borderers when they landed at the mouth of the Dardanelles in April 1915.
"We went ashore in rowing boats, with 24 in each boat," said the 83-year-old. "Four men were killed and seven wounded in my boat, before we landed."
A rare event occurred on the 31st at the town's two cinemas. That day was a Sunday, when both the Capitol and Savoy changed their films.
However, both picture houses had decided to retain their existing titles for another week.
In fact the Capitol on the corner of Duke Street and North Road was showing 'Soldier Blue' starring Candice Bergen for the fifth straight week.
"The film everybody in town is talking about", said the Cap's ad in the Reporter.
Down Bridge Street at the ABC Savoy, 'Kelly's Heroes' starring Clint Eastwood and Telly Savalas was only on its second "big week" of screenings.
On the 31st Bob Noon became the first blind man to be recommended for a judo black belt after passing his Kata (theory) examination at a special grading at RAF Sealand, near Chester.
British Judo Association examiners Richard Barraclough and Tony McConnell would now recommend that the 41-year-old from Vista Avenue in Newton-le-Willows be awarded a black belt known as a first dan.
Watching Bob go through his paces were his guide dogs Georgie and Sally – both golden Labradors.
Bob had been totally blind since Christmas Day 1957 after falling down a hole in the road.
"The Irish ganger who pulled me out said that I would have to take up wrestling to learn how to fall properly. I almost took him at his word."
And finally British Summertime had been introduced in 1916, following a campaign led by builder William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Chris Martin of Coldplay.
Since then the question of whether it is better to have lighter mornings and darker evenings – or darker mornings and lighter evenings – has never been settled, and probably never will. This week this article was published in the Echo:
"Schoolchildren, parents, outdoor workers and late-night swingers, have all got something to look forward to next Sunday.
"The clocks go back an hour, which means an extra hour in bed on the day itself, and the return to Greenwich Mean Time means lighter mornings during winter.
"But lighter mornings also mean darker evenings, and the question is now being asked: Will the change of darkness hours really help road safety, or will it just shift accident statistics from morning to evening?
"The return to G.M.T. was announced last December, after the three-year experiment of British Standard Time, during which the clocks remained unaltered throughout the year.
"B.S.T. meant darkness until about 9 o'clock during some mornings in the depth of winter, and opposition to the system was quickly and increasingly voiced.
"Building workers were arriving on their sites before the sun did; and parents were anxious about their children getting to school in the darkness – school starting times in many places were put back to 9.15 or 9.30.
"So it was that the decision to revert to the old system – voted by a massive majority in the House of Commons – was welcomed in many quarters.
"But some road safety officials are not among them. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, who are not totally committed either way, question the value of sacrificing lighter evenings during the peak hours, for the sake of lighter mornings.
"And Mr. Lionel Piper, Liverpool's Road Safety Officer commented: “There has been no evidence of an increase in accidents because of dark mornings. There are even advantages to the (B.S.T.) system.
"“As a father, I would much rather my children went to school in the dark than came home in the dark.”"
Next week's stories will include the children playing chicken on Croppers Hill, the flexi-time pioneer of Lancots Lane, Helena House open their Xmas Grotto, a Bonfire night plot in Liverpool Road and the strict Redgate Boys Band rulebook.